One-nanometer-thick seed layer of unilamellar nanosheets promotes oriented growth of oxide crystal films

Room-temperature fabrication of an ultimately thin seed layer using 2D oxide nanosheets is demonstrated. Flat nanosheets are tiled to form a highly organized monolayer with a thickness of ca. 1 nm on a glass substrate (see figure). Monolayer films of nanosheets such as Ca2Nb3O10 (2D square lattice) and MnO2 (2D hexagonal) successfully promote oriented film growth of oxide crystals such as SrTiO3 (cubic), TiO2 (tetragonal), and ZnO (hexagonal).